Tracey Emin Surprises The World With Large-Scale Works For Brit Awards 2015

Tracey Emin was recently the latest artist to have her design for a Brit Award unveiled late last year – and ahead of the ceremony which took place last night. The artist chose to turn the statuette of Brittania pink, and adorn it with her own spidery handwriting; which reads: ‘Congratulations on your talent, on your life – On everything you give to others -Thank you’. The statuette was raised in the air by the likes of British Musicians Ed Sheeran during last night’s musical celebrations – but, as it turns out that wasn’t the only contribution that the YBA member made to the evening’s proceedings, after Emin unveiled a surprise at the 2015 Brit Awards.

The awards, live last night, showcased some of the world’s latest musical talents, not to mention a site-specific piece of theatre design from the Brit artist. Emin was originally commissioned to design the 2015 Brit Awards statuette, with no public knowledge of further creative involvement.

The design for the statuette was unveiled in December, joining the ranks of Vivienne Westwood and fellow Enfant Terrible Damien Hirst. But the artist surprised tonight’s audience with the addition of projected neon text-scenery to London’s O2 Arena.

Emin isn’t the first artist to use a music awards platform as her canvas, but the artist’s designs were certainly a prominent feature at last night’s awards. Each year, a figure from the world of creative arts is asked to come up with their own design on the figurine. This year the Royal Academician, and Turner Prize nominee also created the addition of a rosette motif to the rear of the statue, but her additional involvement in the design of large-scale sets was kept secret.

“You want to do it really well. You don’t just want to decorate it, you want to make something that is really Tracey-ish, that is special for the people receiving it,” the artist confirmed of her statue design late last year – with no mention of the additional designs for last night extravaganza.

Emin is the fifth artist to redesign the statue, which has also been reimagined by Peter Blake, and Philip Treacy – having had a hand in Brit Award designs, if not quite to the level that Emin has now achieved.

The artist is perhaps best-known for her Turner-nominated artwork, ‘My Bed’, and a tent embroidered with the names of many of her lovers, called ‘Everyone I Have Ever Slept With’ – the unmade bed covered in debris which she exhibited at Tate Britain after she was shortlisted for the Turner Prize in 1999 went on to sell for £2.2 million at auction in July 2014.

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